A Mississippi man was arrested after he allegedly tried to buy a 10-month-old girl in Washington Parish, authorities said.

Working with Angie police, the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office began investigating the alleged attempted purchase of a baby last Wednesday, authorities said. According to deputies, Howell Gene Penton, 73, of Picayune, Mississippi, had solicited a woman at the Angie Auction House, seeking to purchase her 10-month-old child.

An undercover operation led to an arrest warrant, and Penton was taken into custody Saturday without incident.

Online jail records show he was arrested on a charge of sale of minor children.

The sheriff’s office said their investigation was ongoing and they're urging anyone with "information on the sales of minor children" to call detectives a

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